Ghosts of the Innocent
by Kamen Rider Raika
Summary: At the end of the Great Hyperspace War, the genocide of the Sith race became the Republic's most heinous crime. Years later, Jedi Master Odan-Urr learns price of such a crime in his study. One-shot EU. 5000 BBY.


Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars at all! It belongs to Disney, not me! All characters within the _Tales of the Jedi_ comics were made by the comics' respective writers/creators.

A/N: Alright, this was an idea I had from five days ago. It's been stuck in my head ever since then and I just needed to write this down. I felt it was too good to just put it away. Then again, I'll let you decide that…

* * *

Jedi Master Odan-Urr strode through the halls of the Great Jedi Library on Ossus, the ends of his purple Jedi cloaked flapping in the air as he did. Incorporated into his cloak were the metalwork of known of his Draethos culture, such as the golden headdress and armored chest plate.

As he walked, his reptilian eyes momentarily fell upon the Great Jedi Library. It took a few years to complete its construction, and it showed with the craftsmanship of the architects to place the stone in a fine symmetrical form. Lined up against the walls were the statues of countless masters from the centuries of the Jedi Order's history, including Odan-Urr's own master, Ooroo.

The library contained not only texts of the Jedi Order, but also served as a training ground for other Jedi as they went on to train in the ways of the Force. That was obvious from the many masters, knights, and Padawans that walked in the halls of the library.

The many Jedi Knights and Padawans Odan-Urr passed often nodded their heads and bowed in respect to the famous Jedi Master. Odan-Urr would often return their bows with his own before carrying on to his destination.

That said destination was a small study of the library that remained secluded from the rest. Odan-Urr entered it to come across the familiar shelves filled with seeming countless knowledge. It carried all the information the Jedi master could find, ranging from simple scrolls to large textbooks on different civilizations. As for why this part of the library was secluded, the answer was placed on top of Odan-Urr's desk.

It was a small device, shaped in the form of a pyramid. It had a red glow emerging from the center and through the glass that made up the device's casing. Odan-Urr knew the device well, for it was a holocron.

Holocrons were teaching devices that Jedi record their experiences into them. When placed in the hand of a Force-sensitive, the image of the holocron's creator would emerge and acted as a gatekeeper of knowledge inside. Most Jedi holocrons were known to take the shape of a cube, but this one was shaped like a pyramid. Then again, it was not made by the Jedi, but by another group. His enemies from the Great Hyperspace War.

Odan-Urr let out a sigh through his lipless mouth. The Great Hyperspace. It was hard to imagine all of that happened nearly a decade ago. The Jedi Master could remember the events as if they happened yesterday.

It all began when two hyperspace explorers came across the world of Korriban. Korriban had been the homeworld of the red-skinned race known as Sith, who had been enslaved by Dark Jedi exiled from Republic space. The fallen Jedi built a vast empire that expanded into many star systems and they wanted to expand their boundaries. Seeing the explorers arriving on their world, it revealed the Republic to the Sith.

One Sith named Naga Sadow led the rest in attempt to conquer the Republic. It ended in failure as the Sith forces were decimated by both the Republic and Jedi forces, though many worlds were scarred from the attack. Many had died to defend the Republic, including Odan-Urr's master.

After the war, Odan-Urr found the holocron on board a crashed Sith warship. Taking the holocron, Odan-Urr kept it safe from the rest of the Jedi Order, fearing that its knowledge of the Dark Side would corrupt many Jedi. Oddly enough, it was what inspired Odan-Urr to build the Great Jedi Library.

Odan-Urr approached the desk, his eyes kept close onto the holocron. He reached out with a hand to grab, hopefully to put it away before anyone could notice it.

But something made the Jedi Master stop. His head snapped up, for he felt an ominous feeling. It was a strange presence he never felt before. Whatever this feeling it, it was dark and full of malice. And it was coming from inside the room.

His clawed hand slowly went to his belt, and they fell upon his lightsaber, which was attached to the belt-mounted power pack via cable. Odan-Urr thumbed the activation stud on his weapon and his lightsaber blade sprang to life.

The light of the bright green blade fell upon his face as well as the shelved within the room. There was no one in front of the Draethos, so he looked over his shoulder only to see the shelves scrolls he collected. "Who's there?!" he shouted.

There was no answer. No sound. Just that same, dark presence Odan-Urr felt and it made him uneasy.

Departing his desk, the Jedi Master began to search his study. His green blade illuminated the aisles in between the large wooden shelves as his feet slowly treaded onto the stone floor. The Force allowed Odan-Urr to sense the presence, but it was all over the study, preventing him from pinpointing

Once again, the Jedi Master called, "Show yourself! No harm will come to you!"

For many moments, Odan-Urr had only been greeted with silence before he finally heard something. Laughter. A child's laughter.

His scaly head whirled at the high-pitched laughing and the Jedi Master realized it was originating from the center of the study. He sprinted towards the source of the laughter, careful to make his lightsaber did not accidentally slice through his scrolls and texts.

Arriving on the scene, Odan-Urr raised his green blade, and the glow fell upon the source of the laughter. Standing near the study desk was a small boy with his back turned, so all he could see was the head of black hair and a tattered shirt that covered the boy's body. Though he could not see the face, he swore the laughing came from the boy.

The laughing came to a sudden halt, and Odan-Urr watched the boy turned around to face him. The Draethos' eyes could see the small cheek tendrils, and those eyebrow stalks that were almost covered by the back hair. What stood out the most was the skin, the crimson red color matching that of the Sith holocron placed on the desk.

Alarms ran through Odan-Urr's mind as he felt the grip on his lightsaber tightened. It did not take much to realize who was before him: a Sith.

Yet, the Jedi Master could feel himself doubting at what was before him. The Sith were gone. They no longer had any control within a star system, let alone an empire. There was no way for any of them to have survived… Was there?

Still, Odan-Urr lowered the blade of his lightsaber, his eyes stared at the Sith child. "What are you doing here?" he spoke, yet some suspicion crawled its way into his words.

There was no immediately response, only the empty silence from the young Sith. The boy's fiery orange eyes met Odan-Urr's blues and his mouth finally moved as he spoke only three words, "You killed us."

Suspicion was met with confusion as Odan-Urr could only stare at the Sith child. "What?" he inquired.

"_You killed us_," the child repeated, this time his voice filled with a ghostly echo.

Through the Force, the Jedi Master could sense the presence turning from one to two. At first, it did not make such sense until he finally saw another Sith joining the child, this one a male dressed the robes of the Sith priests. The two was joined by a third, a Sith woman wearing a white gown. None of them bore weapons, yet their deathly gazes seemed to pierce through Odan-Urr.

Many questions ran through Odan-Urr's mind. How was this happening? The sight of one Sith was surprising, but three in the same room was too much.

The three then were joined by another Sith and then another. Sith Lords, Massassi warriors, priests of the Kissai caste, engineers, civilians, and even Sith slaves. Their numbers grew as they appeared before Odan-Urr, slowly surrounding the Jedi Master. They were like a chorus as they simply spoke one sentence over and over again:

"_You killed us._"

Odan-Urr attempted to raise his blade, but his entire arm did not budge. He tried to move other parts of his body only to find them stuck in their place. His entire was frozen stiff, forcing him to stare straight at the surrounding Sith. Was this fear? Odan-Urr would have shrugged that thought off, knowing that Jedi were not supposed to be afraid.

But he was afraid. Odan-Urr came to that conclusion when he felt sweat running down his hands and face. The stiffness was gone, for the Jedi Master could feel his sword arm trembling.

The Jedi Master slowly turned his head around to see the various members of the Sith race behind him. There was so many of them that he could no longer see the shelves of scrolls and datapads. Their gazes focused on him, as if they were staring at a criminal, and their chanting of "You killed us" only continued to confuse Odan-Urr.

Suddenly, the chanting stopped. Odan-Urr looked around at every Sith surrounding him only to see their mouths closed shut. However, their eyes remained opened and emotionlessly staring at him. Returning his gaze to his front, Odan-Urr's eyes fell upon the same Sith child that first appeared to him.

The child stepped forward from the rest of the Sith and stopped only a few feet from the Jedi Master. Odan-Urr found himself staring at the child's eyes once more.

Again, the child was the one to speak. "_You let us die._"

The same feeling of confusion arose in Odan-Urr, but that only lasted temporarily. The young Sith's physical body morphed into red particles clumped together to form strands of energy that rose into the air.

Odan-Urr's eyes widen in surprise, but he was more surprised to see the physical forms of the other Sith turned into wisps of red energy. The energy swirled around him, who found the shock and fear grow within him. The constant circling created a small vortex of red energy with the Jedi Master in the center of it all. He was left wondering what was happening, while trying to stop himself from trembling so much.

Then, the Sith struck.

The ghostly wails emerged from the vortex and reached into Odan-Urr's ears. What followed was a sharp pain in his mind, causing the Jedi Master to almost double over.

The Draethos released his grip on his lightsaber, and the green blade to retract to the hilt before it clattered onto the floor. Both of his hands gripped the sides of his head as he fell on his knees. Odan-Urr reached into the Force to find some protection against this attack, but found none. No Jedi training had prepared him for this, leaving him at the mercy of his attackers.

The pain intensified within the Jedi Master's mind, forcing him to curl his body up like a newborn baby. Odan-Urr placed his scaly hand and his hands' tightened their grip as the pain increased. Odan-Urr did his best to suppress any cries of pain, only allowing them to passed through his closed teeth.

Using what strength he had, Odan-Urr raised his head to look at the swirling vortex. Within it, he could see the faces of the Sith, now monstrous apparitions, emerging from the red clouds that circled round and round Odan-Urr. Their mouths opened wide, and emerging from the black void of their throats were their cries aimed at the Jedi Master.

"_Murderer!_"

"_Killer!_"

"_Monster!_"

As their accusations reached his ears, the pain reached its peak and Odan-Urr found him head pressed against the stone floor. His attempts to keep the pain at bay failed. Odan-Urr was at the full brunt force of the attack and there nothing to stop it. All he could do was let out long cries of pain that echoed against the walls of the study.

"No! No more!" Odan-Urr cried out as he found himself begging at the Sith. "Please stop!"

But they did not stop. The ghostly forms of the Sith continued to circle the Jedi Master, their constant accusations hitting against his ears. With every shout, a wave of pain spread across Odan-Urr's mind.

Suddenly, a flash appeared in his mind. It was only for moment, but it was enough. The image was of Republic warships firing their turrets on the Sith world of Korriban, razing a city to the ground. Republic soldiers and Jedi alike strode through the desert, chasing after civilians of the Sith Empire from their homes and onto the streets. Fire soon engulfed the entire city, followed by the screams of Sith being burned.

When the image disappeared, Odan-Urr's eyes suddenly shot open. The mental pain was no longer a concern for me. The image he just saw brought out memories, memories Odan-Urr wished never happened.

After the Republic's victory over the Sith Empire, they exterminated the remaining Sith, fearing they would rise up again. Republic ships arrived in Sith space and began to slaughter every last member of the Sith Empire, whether they be man, woman, or child. The Jedi, while at first hesitant to condone such action, took part in the slaughter. Odan-Urr, himself, could remember all the lives being taken those dark days.

Odan-Urr raised his head, his eyes staring at the vortex of Sith ghosts. He finally realized what was before him, what these spirits were: They were the souls of those killed during the genocide. The ghosts of the innocent slaughtered in the name of 'justice' by the Republic and the Jedi Order.

The Jedi Master could only stare at the Sith spirits circling around him. "You…" he began.

The Sith spirits cut Odan-Urr with another jolt into his mind. It returned the Draethos Jedi to the searing pain that burned into his mind. This time, Odan-Urr was aware of what was going on.

The spirits of the Sith were the judges and they made their punishment. They returned to give the Jedi a lesson that the Order would never forget. And Odan-Urr was the one to teach the Jedi that.

As he continued to lie on the ground, screams of pain emerged from Jedi Master's throat, but there was something else as well. Regret. Sorrow. That much was evident from the words he was able to utter.

"I'm sorry!" Odan-Urr shouted. "I'm so sorry!"

Odan-Urr's words were loud, but they were drowned out by the constants wails and cries from the Sith spirits spiraling around him. The pain in his mind began to slowly spread down to the rest of his body, becoming more unbearable to simply suppress it.

Oddly enough, the pain brought motivation to Odan-Urr as his raised his voice and shout, "I'M SORRY!"

The words echoed throughout the study and were louder than any of the accusing cries of the spirits. It was what made the spirits' wails slowly fade away into nothingness, along with the pain they inflicted on Odan-Urr. He could feel himself being slowly relieved of their punishment, almost a lifting fog.

With the pain slowly leaving, Odan-Urr raised his head to see the vortex of the Sith spirits fall apart. One by one, the spirits broke away from their constant circling to let their non-corporeal forms to dissipate into the air. As they did, Odan-Urr could hear the familiar ghostly wails, yet it was filled with satisfaction rather than contempt and bitterness.

Soon, all the spirits of the dead were gone. All that was in the study were his books, and the lone Sith holocron. The spirits were gone, yet Odan-Urr could still feel a small tingle of the Dark Side in the room.

Placing a hand on one of his knees, Odan-Urr was able to raise himself to feet. His legs trembled as he did, but Odan-Urr found some support on the nearby table. He slowly inhaled and exhaled, using the Force to calm his mind. It only lasted for a few moments, but it felt like hours to the Jedi Master.

Odan-Urr caught sight of his lightsaber, which still lied clattered on the ground along with its extension cable. Calling on the Force, Odan-Urr's lightsaber flew into his hand and he proceeded to hook it to his belt.

From behind him, Odan-Urr heard the door open, followed by the sound of feet pounding against the floor. What came next was the sound of a young woman's voice as she called out, "Master Odan-Urr, I heard screaming! Is everything alright?"

Odan-Urr turned his sweaty face to see a fellow Jedi Knight, donned in the typical brown robes, at the entrance of the study. The Jedi was a young woman, one of the few who Odan-Urr allowed to enter into his study.

The Jedi Master simply gave her a calm smile. "Yes, I'm fine," Odan-Urr assured her. "It was nothing."

The Jedi Knight stared at Odan-Urr temporarily, a hint of concern in her eyes. Nonetheless, she closed at the door behind her, leaving the Jedi Master alone in his study. With the Jedi Knight gone, Odan-Urr returned his attention to his desk. His legs were starting to give way, and he needed to find a place to sit down.

Slowly walking towards his desk, Odan-Urr felt a little sluggish as his feet stepping on the stone floor. Odan-Urr reached out with his hand and it fell upon the wooden chair before he pulled it away from the desk. Collapsing on his chair, the Jedi Master let his tears flow out of his eyes.

He had learned a valuable lesson and Odan-Urr would never forget it. A lesson that the Sith wanted all of the Jedi Order to know for the centuries to come. A reminder of their crime against the Sith race:

The ghosts of the innocent never forget. And they never forgive.

* * *

A/N: Okay before any other SW fans do anything about the Sith genocide, there are no sources that state Odan-Urr actually participated. Do I really think Odan-Urr would attempt to commit genocide? Considering how he's one of my favorite ancient Jedi and how he's more of a scholar, I want to say no, but when writing this, I just went under the assumption that he did.

Alright, this is the first time I've done a SW one-shot, so please no flames. Also, I'm not really sure if I got the mood of the story right. I've been writing this for almost a week and it usually had been in my free time. If the mood of the story feels off in some places to you, please let me know.

Okay, that's it. Leave your comments in the reviews and if you have and please leave constructive criticism. Thank you.

Raika out.


End file.
